Posts Tagged ‘pan de bagnet’

I went to Mercato Centrale determined to have some of the famous Pan de Bagnet. It’s an Ilocano dish served with an Italian flair.

Bagnet is deep fried pork belly popular in the Ilocos Region. It is a distinct Ilocano dish that is prepared through an arduous process of sun-drying, boiling, and deep frying. The pork belly is marinated in a variety of spices before it is cooked. Bagnet is usually served with a dipping made of vinegar, bagoong (shrimp sauce), and garlic. As my friends would insist (especially Maro), lechon kawali is not bagnet. So don’t get confused.

Pan de Bagnet is composed of slices of bagnet, tomatoes, bagoong dilis (anchovy sauce), and onions. All these are nestled in fresh mustard greens, and drenched with vinaigrette made with Sukang Iloko (Ilocos vinegar). These are all served up neatly inside a yummy ciabatta bread.

Each bite is the perfect balance of sinful bagnet, veggies, bread, and vinaigrette. Delicious! The thought of this delicious sandwich makes me even more excited for my next Manila trip.

This is definitely part of my Mercato Centrale checklist. I am looking forward to eating more culinary delights and specialty foods at my favorite foodie destination in Metro Manila.

The Pan de Bagnet and another Bale Dutung specialty Lechon Tortilla, are available at the Bale Dutung booth at Mercato Centrale, open at The Fort, Saturdays and Sundays, 10 am – 2 pm.

AirPhil Express flies to Metro Manila from Davao and back daily. Take a food trip now.